How much do you pay for fiction ebooks? - Page 5

tompe · 11-17-2013, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shanghaichica

I agree. I think authors should be rewarded for their work. I've come across many people on internet forums who seem to have the idea that ebooks as apposed to physical books should cost nothing or next to nothing because of their format and this is something that I disagree with.

Do not then forget the immoral people buying books second hand or borrowing them from a library.

cromag · 11-17-2013, 07:24 PM

I don't have formal "rules" about maximum prices, but I have to really really want an ebook to pay more than $3.99. I've only gone higher a few times, and only two or three have been more than $5.99.

The vast majority have been $1.99 and under. I rely on sales and promotions, and I'm a big fan of Project Gutenberg and the MobileRead Library.

I'm also a regular at my local library for hard-copy books. I've got one on "hold" there right now -- I should be picking it up tomorrow.

piperclassique · 11-18-2013, 12:15 AM

Quote:

I would like a similar service, except epub/non-Kindle. Does anyone here know of such a thing?

I use Luzme to signal price drops. lets you set the countries you want to buy from, authors of interest, etc

mbovenka · 11-18-2013, 03:51 AM

I go to $15,= in rare cases (the price of a Baen e-ARC). Still, that's roughly what a MMPB costs around here.

tompe · 11-18-2013, 05:55 AM

I pay what it cost when I want to read the book.

I feel like using promotions and similar stuff so you get absurd low average price such as $2-$3 will not support the author enough and is robbing the author of money.

pdurrant · 11-18-2013, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CommonReader

Those are extremely low average prices that are being quoted here. Do you really get recent books by major authors at such low prices?

If depends what you mean by recent. If you mean just-released hardback of a new novel, then usually not. I'm unwilling to pay the prices asked for the ebook when there's only a hardback paper edition available. Except for a very few authors, I'm more than happy to wait for the paperback or a special offer before buying the ebook.

But if you mean the past (say) five years, certainly.

pdurrant · 11-18-2013, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

I feel like using promotions and similar stuff so you get absurd low average price such as $2-$3 will not support the author enough and is robbing the author of money.

I completely disagree. If the author/publisher is willing to sell to me at those prices, I will buy at those prices.

tompe · 11-18-2013, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I completely disagree. If the author/publisher is willing to sell to me at those prices, I will buy at those prices.

The idea behind a promotion is not that people should use it systematically. So I really do not see any category difference with respect to money to the author between systematically using a thin in an unintended way or just download the thing (legally in some countries and illegally in other countries).

Crusader · 11-18-2013, 07:28 AM

I normally pay around the same as a MMPB price, around $7. With all the coupons and special offers I've managed to keep my average to around $4 though.

latepaul · 11-18-2013, 07:30 AM

I'm lucky. I have enough disposable income that I can afford to buy 50+ books a year a BPH prices, and that's more than I'm likely to read - so I don't really think about price. I have paid £25 for one hardback+ebook but that was a Kickstarter-style thing.

That's what I used to say. It's still basically true however now that my TBR is way too long, I have to really want to read a book and really want to read it right now to pay full price for a new release. So generally when something new comes along I add it to ereaderiq or luzme and keep my eye on the daily deals. Whilst I will pay say £9.99 for book X in theory, I don't want to pay that, not read it for a year and in the mean time it turns up in a deal for £1.99 say.

piperclassique · 11-18-2013, 07:38 AM

promotions are not done out of generosity. The intent is to eventually sell more books. Think of it as an entry drug......
A second hand book can only be passed on and read so many times before it falls apart, a library book benefits the author on original sale and on each loan. A pirated book can be copied an unlimited number of times without any benefit to the author.
It is entirely possible to read for free legally, public domain, freebies, library books, friends books, without becoming a thief.
I will happily accept a free book, knowing that if I enjoy it I will probably buy more by that author. If I can't afford that then too bad, at least I got the first one free.
My thanks to all those who post public domain books here.

DiapDealer · 11-18-2013, 08:37 AM

I often toss an extra ten dollars into the transaction when I buy an ebook. Just in case the author had a really bad week or something. Just like any industry, the only possible way the book industry will survive is if we artificially prop it up by paying more than the advertised price.

So remember this: every time you buy a book for less than list price, a baby author gets drowned in a bucket of water.

Yapyap · 11-18-2013, 08:52 AM

Other than the (let's say ~10-20 a year) relatively few books that I definitely want to read, the rest of my reading (100+ books a year) is made up of books I don't know much about, other than having seen them mentioned, that they look possibly interesting, I've come across in browsing etc.

They're basically interchangeable - not in a way that I'd read any book instead, but that one cosy mystery or urban fantasy by an author I don't know is much the same as another cosy mystery or urban fantasy by an author I don't know.

Is there any particular reason to choose those at full price, rather than take advantage of those on deals and offers?

Some of them, those that have the first book on offer for a good price, I end up enjoying enough that I'll pay more (preferably with a coupon but if none is around, and I really want to read on, whatever the going price is) for the next books in the series - which is what the deal was meant to achieve.

Without using the deals, I wouldn't give any money for those authors and publishers at all. I'd choose something else that was within my budget and looked equally maybe-interesting, possibly reading more self-published books and hunting down freebies instead.

Lemurion · 11-18-2013, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

The idea behind a promotion is not that people should use it systematically. So I really do not see any category difference with respect to money to the author between systematically using a thin in an unintended way or just download the thing (legally in some countries and illegally in other countries).

Authors are usually paid based on list, regardless of whether the seller is running a special or not. Also, when you're talking of backlist books the author has often earned as much as they expected from that book and are now working on the next, so any income from it is a bonus.

Finally, many of the indie books I buy are regularly priced around $2-3, so it's not a promotion anyway.

leanansidhe · 11-18-2013, 09:24 AM

I admit to paying more than $16 for an ebook. It all depends on the author and if I can be fairly certain that I will enjoy it. I always check to see if I can use a coupon code at Kobo before purchasing anything. If I can't I just but it from Amazon since the prices are pretty much the same.

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11-17-2013, 07:24 PM	#62
cromag Surfin the alpha waves ~~ Posts: 26,744 Karma: 459765791 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: New Jersey Device: Jetbook Lite & Mini, Nook STR, Kobo, Hanvon N516, Kindle 2, Androids	I don't have formal "rules" about maximum prices, but I have to really really want an ebook to pay more than $3.99. I've only gone higher a few times, and only two or three have been more than $5.99. The vast majority have been $1.99 and under. I rely on sales and promotions, and I'm a big fan of Project Gutenberg and the MobileRead Library. I'm also a regular at my local library for hard-copy books. I've got one on "hold" there right now -- I should be picking it up tomorrow.

11-18-2013, 03:51 AM	#64
mbovenka Wizard Posts: 2,086 Karma: 14079267 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Almere, The Netherlands Device: Kobo Sage	I go to $15,= in rare cases (the price of a Baen e-ARC). Still, that's roughly what a MMPB costs around here.

11-18-2013, 05:55 AM	#65
tompe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,452 Karma: 7185064 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Linköpng, Sweden Device: Kindle Voyage, Nexus 5, Kindle PW	I pay what it cost when I want to read the book. I feel like using promotions and similar stuff so you get absurd low average price such as $2-$3 will not support the author enough and is robbing the author of money.

11-18-2013, 07:28 AM	#69
Crusader Space Cadet Posts: 1,180 Karma: 4030536 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Africa Device: Sony PRS-T1, Cybook Opus, Kobo Glo	I normally pay around the same as a MMPB price, around $7. With all the coupons and special offers I've managed to keep my average to around $4 though.

11-18-2013, 07:30 AM	#70
latepaul Wizard Posts: 1,270 Karma: 10468300 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: a variety (mostly kindles and kobos)	I'm lucky. I have enough disposable income that I can afford to buy 50+ books a year a BPH prices, and that's more than I'm likely to read - so I don't really think about price. I have paid £25 for one hardback+ebook but that was a Kickstarter-style thing. That's what I used to say. It's still basically true however now that my TBR is way too long, I have to really want to read a book and really want to read it right now to pay full price for a new release. So generally when something new comes along I add it to ereaderiq or luzme and keep my eye on the daily deals. Whilst I will pay say £9.99 for book X in theory, I don't want to pay that, not read it for a year and in the mean time it turns up in a deal for £1.99 say.

11-18-2013, 07:38 AM	#71
piperclassique A garbling groftpot Posts: 996 Karma: 9234667 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: France Device: Oasis, Voyage, Kobo mini, Samsung tablet, phones, whatever.	promotions are not done out of generosity. The intent is to eventually sell more books. Think of it as an entry drug...... A second hand book can only be passed on and read so many times before it falls apart, a library book benefits the author on original sale and on each loan. A pirated book can be copied an unlimited number of times without any benefit to the author. It is entirely possible to read for free legally, public domain, freebies, library books, friends books, without becoming a thief. I will happily accept a free book, knowing that if I enjoy it I will probably buy more by that author. If I can't afford that then too bad, at least I got the first one free. My thanks to all those who post public domain books here.

11-18-2013, 08:37 AM	#72
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,880 Karma: 207000000 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I often toss an extra ten dollars into the transaction when I buy an ebook. Just in case the author had a really bad week or something. Just like any industry, the only possible way the book industry will survive is if we artificially prop it up by paying more than the advertised price. So remember this: every time you buy a book for less than list price, a baby author gets drowned in a bucket of water.

11-18-2013, 08:52 AM	#73
Yapyap Guru Posts: 861 Karma: 3543721 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	Other than the (let's say ~10-20 a year) relatively few books that I definitely want to read, the rest of my reading (100+ books a year) is made up of books I don't know much about, other than having seen them mentioned, that they look possibly interesting, I've come across in browsing etc. They're basically interchangeable - not in a way that I'd read any book instead, but that one cosy mystery or urban fantasy by an author I don't know is much the same as another cosy mystery or urban fantasy by an author I don't know. Is there any particular reason to choose those at full price, rather than take advantage of those on deals and offers? Some of them, those that have the first book on offer for a good price, I end up enjoying enough that I'll pay more (preferably with a coupon but if none is around, and I really want to read on, whatever the going price is) for the next books in the series - which is what the deal was meant to achieve. Without using the deals, I wouldn't give any money for those authors and publishers at all. I'd choose something else that was within my budget and looked equally maybe-interesting, possibly reading more self-published books and hunting down freebies instead.

11-18-2013, 09:24 AM	#75
leanansidhe Faerie Godmother Posts: 243 Karma: 6544888 Join Date: Aug 2013 Device: K3, Kobo Mini	I admit to paying more than $16 for an ebook. It all depends on the author and if I can be fairly certain that I will enjoy it. I always check to see if I can use a coupon code at Kobo before purchasing anything. If I can't I just but it from Amazon since the prices are pretty much the same.